Duterte: ASEAN leaders reiterate sovereign equality, non-interference

President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations have reiterated the observance of principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs during the 32nd summit in Singapore.

"This we made clear: in our relations with the larger community of nations, ASEAN and its partners should uphold and honor the time-honored principles of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs,” Duterte said in Davao City after arriving from Singapore.

Duterte's administration has adopted an independent foreign policy, turning down "foreign aids with conditions."

The President has refused to recognize the International Criminal Court, where a complaint has been filed against him for alleged "crimes against humanity" in relation to his deadly war on drugs.

Duterte said he raised in the summit the ASEAN's "deepening collaboration to dismantle the illegal drug trade apparatus, counter piracy and combat criminality."

In his arrival speech, Duterte also announced that ASEAN leaders adopted three key documents during the summit that will facilitate the region's vision for "greater community, centrality and connectivity."

He said he also raised during the discussions the need to continue broadening cooperation among the ASEAN to address the growing threat of terrorism.

Duterte has placed the entire Mindanao under martial law due to allow the military to go after local terrorist groups in the southern region. He issued the declaration after local terror group Dawlah Islamiya or the Maute group seized Marawi City.

He added that the Philippines need to keep its ties with "our ASEAN brothers and sisters in a vibrant and active ambiance.”

“In our discussions, we further reaffirmed the shared commitment to sustain the security [in] our maritime domains and enhance regional interconnectivity through the technology and innovation that’s available,” he said.

ASEAN leaders also agreed to promote free, fair and rules-based trading system for the region's continued economic growth, he added.

Migrant workers' rights

Duterte said the ASEAN also focused the discussions on the protection and promotion of the rights and the well-being of our migrant workers, which is also close to the heart of the Philippines which has a considerable number of Filipinos working and living abroad.

“We pushed the ASEAN Consensus on the protection and the promotion of the rights of the migrant workers and their families,” he said, adding that primers published by the Philippines were distributed and nations were encouraged to use them.

“As I said, your government will take every opportunity to articulate our principled position [on] protecting migrant workers and our countrymen and women,” he said.

The Philippines is currently in a "diplomatic row" with Kuwait, where several abuses on Filipino service workers have been reported.

Kuwait has recently recalled its ambassador to the Philippines and expelled the Philippine envoy due to viral videos of a supposedly covert rescue mission for distressed Filipinos. —ALG, GMA News